Can’t Sleep: New science backed music app for sleep released on iPhone & iPad

Can’t Sleep plays relaxing music scientifically designed to help users fall asleep faster and wake up feeling refreshed. Available on iPhone, iPad and Android, Can’t Sleep offers a unique listening experience. The app applies over 100 research articles on music and sleep psychology to create calming soundscapes. The soundscapes are created in real-time from the user’s favourite instruments and ambient sounds through intuitive AI. For this week only, get Can’t Sleep for 99c, that’s 98% off!

August 26, 2018 – Founder of Can’t Sleep, Thomas Dickson is undertaking his PhD at the University of New South Wales specialising in the psychology of music for sleep. According to Dickson, “Music with specific sonic features is a safe, easy and effective intervention for improving sleep quality in insomniacs”. Insomnia and other severe sleep disturbances are estimated to effect 150 million individuals in the developing world.

Can’t Sleep composes new soundscapes on the device as it plays, so every time the user listens to the app the soundscapes are different. “The problem with listening to the same song every night is the habituation leads to dissatisfaction, and preferred music is more effective for sleep,” says Dickson. The soundscapes from Can’t Sleep are designed to balance listener engagement by distracting them from ruminating thoughts but not from sleeping. The listener can further increase or decrease engagement by enabling and/or disabling parts of the soundscapes.

A unique feature of Can’t Sleep is the DIY soundscape builder. The user can choose to listen to rain sounds, forests, bells, classical instruments, and much more. “Music is a very personal experience. Can’t Sleep allows listeners to choose their own nature sounds and instruments. Our favourite sounds can reduce stress through visualisation and reliving past experiences.” says Dickson. When Dickson designed Can’t Sleep, “every decision made focused on ensuring a positive influence on sleep quality”. Can’t Sleep uses a dark colour scheme and dims after playing to reduce exposure to harmful blue light. Full screen high resolution images are used to encourage visualisation.

The Can’t Sleep team completed the Collider Accelerator Program and received App Inventor: App of the Month on Android from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Australian Paralympian Raïssa Martin says about using Can’t Sleep “I set it up, it took me 10 seconds and I can’t remember falling asleep.”

For this week only Can’t Sleep subscription drops to 99c USD, 98% off!